


Second Symbiote

by imperialmadam



Category: Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 06:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imperialmadam/pseuds/imperialmadam
Summary: Eddie and Venom fail to stop the rocket, but succeed when it returns. Drake survives and bonds with their child, Sleeper.





	Second Symbiote

**Eddie!** Venom shrieked as he slithered over to his fallen host as quickly as he could. He had taken some time to recuperate - the battle, being absorbed by Riot, being separated from his host _three times_ in one night, had taken its toll. But when he saw Riot plunge the blade in Eddie’s back, he had forgotten his own pain entirely.

 **Please don’t be dead, Eddie. Please don’t be dead, Eddie** , Venom pleaded as he rebonded with his host. Eddie wasn’t breathing, but there was brain activity. Venom could stop and heal him now, but Drake and Riot would get away. Or he could puppet Eddie’s body and stop the rocket, but Eddie would certainly die. Venom chose. He knitted torn tissues as quickly as he could, feeling relief as Eddie started breathing and his heart started pumping blood through his body again. Venom rose and yanked the blade out of their back, repairing the area where it had been. They looked to the sky, but the rocket was too far out of reach.

“We failed.” Eddie said, quietly. He didn’t know how long it would take them to return, but when they did… The Earth would be a playground for symbiotes, the human race their buffet bar. Anne, Dan, Mrs Chen, everyone.

 **We haven’t failed** , said Venom. **Not yet. We can stop them when they return**.

 

\-----

 

_Six months later_

Eddie sat in a doctor’s office in Alchemax, wishing he could be anywhere else. How had his life turned into this?

It had started on a perfectly normal day. Eddie was returning from an uneventful day at work and there was still no sign of the rocket. They passed a perfectly normal looking man on the street. “Hmm, his eyeballs look delicious,” said Eddie. “They would be even better dipped…” He suddenly realised what he was saying and clapped both hands over his mouth. “Venom, what is wrong with me?”

 **Cravings, Eddie** , said the symbiote, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

“Cravings? Like when you’re pregnant? Why would I have cravings?”

**Because we’re pregnant, Eddie.**

“What?!”

**I said, we’re pregnant, Eddie.**

“No, no, this is a dream. We can’t take care of a baby and… I’m going to be a father!”

Eddie had contacted Dan, who had been remarkably calm about the whole thing, and put them in contact with Dr Steven. So here they were

“Well, the baby seems healthy,” said Dr Steven. “You want it to be raised here?”

 **“We would prefer to raise it ourselves, but we don’t think that’s the best option,”** said Venom.

“We’ll take good care of it,” the doctor promised. “You can visit whenever you like. And we would like to study it.”

“I don’t like that idea,” said Eddie, as Venom hissed.

“Non-invasively, of course, and nothing that you do not consent to. We’re not the Life Foundation.”

 **“We’ll think about it,”** said Venom.

“Speaking of which, can you do us a favour?” Eddie asked.

“Go on,” the doctor replied. Eddie explained about Drake and Riot’s plan, their fight to stop them, and how they had failed and were waiting for their return, their last chance to stop them before symbiotes overran the Earth.

“I see,” said Doctor Steven. “I’ll keep an eye out for the rocket. If I see anything I’ll let you know.”

 

\-----

 

**Eddie?**

“Wha - ?” Eddie mumbled. “’Sleep.”

 **Your phone is ringing**.

Who could it be at - Eddie checked the clock - 3 am?

**It's Dr Steven.**

"Dr Steven? Oh no, Sleeper. He must be ill or..."

**He was thriving when we visited earlier.**

But what else would Dr Steven want so late? Eddie answered. “Uh, hello?”

“Mr Brock? Sorry to wake you. That rocket you asked me to look for, it appears to be landing. Probably near the Life Foundation headquarters.”

The rocket! Of course.  It had been three years since their battle, and they would have forgotten about it, if not for the blade on the kitchen counter. “Thank you!” said Eddie, suddenly wide awake. “Come on V!” he yelled, running into the kitchen and grabbing Riot’s blade. “Let’s go save the planet!”

 

\-----

 

Carlton Drake’s hands moved easily over the controls. Of course, he wasn’t moving them himself, his symbiote had taken complete control of them. That was probably a good thing, as Carlton was far too exhausted to land a rocket. He was always exhausted now. Even a twelve hour sleep did not refresh him, and Riot rarely let him sleep for that long anyway. He felt the urge to cough, and tried to raise his hands to cover his mouth, but Riot would not let him. He coughed anyway, wetly and violently, bloodstained phlegm splattering the console, adding to the dark stains from previous occasions.

 **You remember the plan?** Riot demanded.

“Yes,” Carlton responded sharply. He had realised about three weeks into their journey that he and Riot were not on the same page. Sure, both of them wanted to bring the symbiotes back to Earth, but for very different reasons. Carlton had protested and Riot had stabbed him in the leg to shut him up. That had been the end of their mostly equal partnership and the beginning of three long, nightmarish years.

Carlton glanced out of the cockpit window and got a horrible shock as a symbiote’s grinning face appeared. He briefly thought it was Riot’s reflection, but it didn’t look like Riot. Venom, come to finish what he started three years ago.

 **“Traitor!”** bellowed Riot. Venom responded, raised a blade, and Carlton realised with horror what he was about to do. Venom cut through the rocket fuel tank and the ship burst into flames. The fire reached Carlton almost instantly. His clothes ignited and the silvery tentacles wrapped around his arms shrivelled and vanished. He heard a pained yet defiant screech and then nothing and he had control of his body again. But he was nowhere near out of danger. His hair, skin and clothes burned, and his vision greyed from the lack of oxygen. It would be good to finally get some sleep. But whatever else he was, he was not a quitter. Fighting the urge to pass out, surrounded by the shrieks of dying symbiotes, he closed his eyes and mouth firmly and stumbled out of the burning rocket. He dropped to the ground, rolled, smothered the flames and beat them out with his hands. Though it hurt, he breathed deeply, taking in the blessedly cool night air until another bout of coughing racked his body.

First stop, a hospital. He needed medical attention desperately, and not just for burns. After that, he would see about repairing the damage to the Life Foundation. Carlton Drake limped away from the burning wreckage in the direction of the nearest hospital.


End file.
